According to an insider in the Indian defense industry, the deal between an Indian firm and the Russian maker of S-400 air defense systems for maintenance and repair work in India is almost final. This has been reported by various media outlets, including EurAsian Times, Russia’s Sputnik, and India’s Times of India.
This key joint venture involves an Indian company partnering with Almaz-Antey, the Russian state-owned enterprise that originally made the S-400 surface-to-air missile [SAM] system. The main goal of this collaboration is to maintain and repair S-400 air defense systems within India. They also plan to eventually produce important components for these systems locally.
Talks between the Indian company and Almaz-Antey are nearly finished. The partners aim to set up two support centers and start manufacturing spare parts in India by 2028.
Five years later
Back in 2019, talks began about India’s role in making spare parts and maintaining the S-400 system. Reports from BulgarianMilitary.com showed that Russia and India were discussing making parts for the S-400 air defense systems in India. Sergey Chemezov from Russia’s high-tech company, Rostec, shared this information.
“Yes, we are talking about making parts in India,” said Chemezov. He mentioned that Russia had already sold licenses to India to make Su-30 fighter jets and T-90 tanks. In addition, the BrahMos missile was developed together with Indian scientists and made in India.
India wanted to buy the Russian-made S-400 missile systems as early as 2015. The $5.43 billion contract was finalized during Russian President Vladimir Putin’s visit to India last year. This move upset Washington, which threatened sanctions against countries buying military gear from Russia. However, India is still firm on getting the S-400 systems despite pressure from the United States.
Indian S-400’s delay
Indian sources are reporting a delay in the delivery of the SA-21 Growler anti-aircraft missile systems from Russia. These systems, also known as the S-400 Triumph, were originally scheduled to be delivered by 2024. However, the last pair will now be delivered between July and September 2026. This delay seems to be caused by the ongoing conflict between Russia and Ukraine, although Russia has not officially commented on it.
Last October, new information about India’s pending S-400 units appeared. Around that time, some interesting photos were shared on Russian Telegram accounts. These photos showed the transport of two 51P6A launchers, which are key parts of the S-400 missile system. These launchers are designed to launch 9M96E rockets.
The person who took the photos speculated that the S-400 systems shown might be the last two units ordered by India, which were originally supposed to be finished by the end of 2024. According to this source, these S-400s in Russia were almost completed with just the final assembly remaining. Once they are assembled and pass quality tests, they will be shipped to India.
We predicted this
In March 2024, BulgarianMilitary.com reported that the final pair of S-400 Triumf systems to India had been delayed again. This is a big issue for India’s defense, which relies on the three S-400 units it already has. The delay of the fourth and fifth units has upset India’s defense plans. This is the second delay for these last two S-400 systems. The fourth unit was first expected in 2023, then delayed to 2024, and now both units are scheduled for 2026.
Diving deeper into this situation, India might see an unexpected benefit in its defense industry. India currently relies on importing parts for platforms like Mi-17 helicopters, MiG-29, Su-30 SME fighter jets, and An-32, Il-76, and Il-78 aircraft. However, with ongoing conflicts and production challenges, it’s uncertain when these important parts will be available.
Understanding this problem, officials in New Delhi have been outspoken about their frustrations. Recently, India has not hesitated to hold Russia responsible for delays in delivering parts and weapons. In February 2023, New Delhi transferred nearly 600 critical components used in Russian aviation systems.
The bright side here might be through Transfer of Technology [ToT]. This could change a negative situation into a positive one, greatly helping Russia. The expected delay in S-400 deliveries over the next few years might give India the chance it has been waiting for—a major technology transfer from Moscow. This would allow for local assembly of parts and components.
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